Chapter 171 : Chapter 171
Chapter 171
The manga presented a panel of the two looking at each other.
The panel's perspective was from their side. Even from a side profile, Bai Xuechao's expression was calm. Yuan Lan, standing opposite him, still had his right hand clutching Gong Ting's throat. The corner of his mouth curled up as he smilingly asked him if Gong Ting's special ability was very interesting.
Following that was a close-up of Bai Xuechao's expression. His look was still calm, seemingly not afraid of Yuan Lan at all. His blood-red, translucent eyes resembled a piece of meticulously carved red glass.
Yuan Lan asked with dissatisfaction if he couldn't cooperate a little.
Bai Xuechao agreed and revealed a smile similar to Yuan Lan's, saying it was indeed very interesting.
【How is Bai Xuechao still so calm? Isn't he afraid Yuan Lan will kill him?】
【I just love this relaxed, at-ease feeling of my Xue, sob sob sob.】
【From the looks of it now, Yuan Lan's hostility towards Axue isn't that great either?】
【Yuan Lan asked if he could cooperate, and Axue said sure. Why do I feel like he's coaxing a child, haha (Knocking on wooden fish)】
【I hope the following plot can be a bit more harmonious... although it seems unlikely.】
Next, Yuan Lan explained that when Gong Ting's special ability was used to exchange for abstract concepts, the judgment was made by the system, so the "freedom" that Gong Ting lost covered a very wide range.
He didn't finish his words. The manga gave a close-up shot of Bai Xuechao's smiling expression here, which should have been from Yuan Lan's perspective.
Only then did Yuan Lan continue, "And the freedom to use his special ability."
【Case solved! Because Gong Ting's freedom is in Yuan Lan's hands, that's why Yuan Lan knew Gong Ting exchanged his special ability.】
【It should be that he only found out after Gong Ting lost his special ability.】
【To the sister above, if Yuan Lan only found out after he lost his special ability, how could he rush over in an instant?】
In the manga, Yuan Lan and Bai Xuechao looked at each other. The former was smiling, the latter was calm. Above their heads was a clock sticker that read "1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds..." indicating that they had been silently looking at each other for several seconds.
In the next panel, Bai Xuechao clapped his hands and said that it was amazing. The perfunctoriness was visible to the naked eye; even the high-dimensional readers in another dimension could tell.
So Yuan Lan asked with some distress, "Is talking to me that boring?"
Bai Xuechao showed an expression of serious contemplation.
"To be honest, it's not boring." The manga gave a close-up of Bai Xuechao's expression. He raised one corner of his lip, his red, glass-like eyes shimmering with a fine light. He looked very beautiful, yet he had the mischievousness of a naughty child. "It's very——boring."
Yuan Lan had an expression of being deeply struck. His right hand was still clutching Gong Ting, while his left hand pounded his chest. The posture was as exaggerated as it could be, as he said that he was too heartbroken by what Bai Xuechao said. But immediately after, he retracted his flamboyant actions, smiled, and leaned closer to Bai Xuechao, saying that in such situations, he would usually find a way to make the other person find it interesting.
He said, "For example——"
In the next panel, Bai Xuechao twisted his body and leaned back, bending down along the right armrest of the sofa.
【Ahhh? What's wrong with Axue?】
【Looks like he did it on his own initiative. Let me see what's going on.】
【This bro has been choking Jade Liquor's neck for half a day, can you just get it over with? (Covering face)】
【If he keeps choking him, Gong Ting might just wake up. (Doge emoji)】
【I love this conversation so much! Am I the one? Yuan: Is talking to me that boring? Xue: It's not boring, it's very——boring.】
【I suggest adding this to Axue's luxurious cheesy lines handbook. (Doge emoji knocking on wooden fish)】
【Hahaha, I agree! But the cheesy lines handbook could be renamed the B-king handbook. (doge)】
Bai Xuechao, who was reading the bullet comments of the manga, typed out a row of ellipses in his mind.
Seriously, what part of that sentence was cheesy, and what part was B-king?
Xiao 6 was also reading the manga along with him.
Reading manga and forums was originally a function of the system, but it was shared with the host after binding. Manga and forums could help the system better understand the author's creative thinking, as well as the handling and control of the plot, so that the host could better complete the plot tasks.
However, Xiao 6 and the previous host had never used this function correctly. They had always used it to follow the latest manga updates and see how readers complained about the plot, and then laughed along with them.
Xiao 6 noticed that Bai Xuechao hadn't turned the page for a long time and asked, "What's wrong, Host?"
Bai Xuechao pointed to the area covered by a pile of bullet comments, "Is this line very cheesy? Or B-king?"
"High-popularity characters all have a collection of classic lines!" Xiao 6 waved a small flag excitedly, "Host, you're about to get popular! The readers love to hear it, you should say it more in the future!"
Bai Xuechao: "..."
The moment Xiao 6 switched to "classic lines" collection without directly answering the question, he knew the answer to his question.
He continued to read the manga and turned the page.
However, the new page was not a continuation of the previous one. Instead, it was a close-up of a car window, with the perspective from inside the car looking out. Outside was a deserted and quiet night scene. The sky was pitch black, and the streetlights on the side of the road illuminated the roadside scenery with warm-colored light, but when viewed from the fast-moving car, they blurred into a single streak.
There was a dialogue bubble next to the car window: "This is how I was caught."
In the next panel, Xia Xiaoxi's body fell to the right side of the frame, her head resting against the car window from the previous panel. Her low golden ponytail drooped with gravity, as if it had wilted along with its owner.
She said with a look of dejection, "I'm sorry, I was too reckless. I even made you guys risk coming to save me..."
Ling Feng, who was sitting with her in the back seat, said, "No one is blaming you."
"That's right, we're not blaming you, you don't have to apologize." Zhou Chenhao, who was in the passenger seat, turned to look at her, a cheerful smile on his face. "The three of us are one. I believe that no matter which of us is in danger, the other two will not stand by and do nothing. It's only right that we save you."
The bullet comments on this page were particularly numerous.
【What? Why did it jump to this side?】
【What about the follow-up on Axue's side? (Shaking Bai old scoundrel) How can you transition like this! Spit out the plot!】
【It's okay, I've already finished reading this part. After this part ends, it's Xuexue's side. (Wiping sweat)】
【My daughter apologized, ying QAQ. My wonderful daughter, mwah!】
【Xiao Xi, this matter isn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's Gong Ting. (Biting handkerchief)】
【The three of them are one, ahhhhhh! I'm shipping this so hard!】
【Compared to Brother Hao comforting Xi-bao, I'm more shocked that Ling Feng Maomao is also comforting her. Although his expression doesn't match 'comforting' at all hahaha, he was the first to answer!】
【I will forever love the trio, sob sob sob. (Clutching heart)】
Xia Xiaoxi seemed to be in a slightly better mood. "Alright."
But she still didn't seem very enthusiastic.
So Zhou Chenhao said again, "You also found the special ability energy crystal, so your merits and demerits cancel each other out, okay? If you still feel bad about it, then treat us to cherries when we get back."
"Sure." Xia Xiaoxi readily agreed.
After saying that, she seemed to realize something was wrong.
Next to this panel was an identical panel, but this time a large question mark appeared above Xia Xiaoxi's head. The dot below the question mark was like a drop of sweat, hanging right on the side of Xia Xiaoxi's head, as if she were sweating.
In the next panel, the perspective was from the side, as if someone had taken a photo from outside the car window.
Xia Xiaoxi reached out and grabbed the tie of Zhou Chenhao, who was looking back from the passenger seat. Zhou Chenhao's side profile was facing the camera, but from his raised lips, it was not hard to see that he was smiling. Ling Feng was sitting next to them, showing only the back of his head and a small part of his face.
Xia Xiaoxi said, "It's October and you're telling me you want to eat cherries? Your home is in D City, don't you know? Where am I supposed to find them!"
The manga inserted a cute explanation here. A Q-version of Xia Xiaoxi stood in front of a blackboard, explaining, "D City's specialty is cherries. The cherry ripening season is in June every year. Usually, the cherries are gone by July."
The Q-version little figure held up a board that read: Current date: October 14, 5027, 00:17.
After the explanation, the next panel returned to the normal plot.
Zhou Chenhao scratched his head and grinned, revealing an even brighter and more cheerful smile, "So we don't need compensation, what do you say, Ling Feng?"
【Ahhh Brother Hao, why are you so gentle! (Grabbing hair)】
【Is this the power of a natural attribute, so terrifying! I'm about to fall for him!】
【If I were Xiao Xi, I would be so moved right now, sob sob sob! Teacher, I want these two teammates too!】
【D City's specialty is cherries... The background setting of this manga should be based on a real place. I'm going to find the corresponding place in reality right now. It's definitely too late this year, but I'll place an order next June. That way, I'll have eaten cherries with Brother Hao and Xiao Xi! Ehe~】
【To the sister above, let me tell you a trick! Search your local fruit inventory, maybe there are still stored cherries! (Propping up his chin)】
【Actually, can't Xiao Xi use her special ability to ripen them? (Afraid to make a sound)】
The manga camera turned to Ling Feng next to them.
"I don't need it, and I haven't suffered any losses." In the picture, Ling Feng's azure eyes glanced in Zhou Chenhao's direction, "Only a certain someone... But if he says he doesn't need it, he really doesn't."
Xia Xiaoxi sensed that something was amiss, "Only a certain someone?"
In the next panel, her gaze also turned to Zhou Chenhao.
Zhou Chenhao had a relaxed smile on his face, as if he knew nothing, or maybe he was playing dumb, "What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me?"
"What did you do?" Xia Xiaoxi's expression was very serious.
Zhou Chenhao looked innocent, "I didn't do anything, I just played a game with Gong Ting, and then..."
The next panel was a close-up of Xia Xiaoxi's expression. Her green eyes stared at Zhou Chenhao, with small text next to her that read: Very, very serious.
Zhou Chenhao said, "Actually, it was Bai Xuechao who won."